


The Only Peace

by FunkyinFishnet



Category: Power Rangers Wild Force
Genre: F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-09
Updated: 2010-03-09
Packaged: 2017-10-07 19:57:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/68688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkyinFishnet/pseuds/FunkyinFishnet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taylor is late back to the Animarium and finds peace when she really needs it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Only Peace

**Author's Note:**

> Written for starandrea's puppy pile meme :)

The temple was silent when Taylor got there, making her footsteps harsh angry movements in the dark. It was completely Eric's fault that she was back so late onto the Animarium, throwing her usual routine out of balance. He'd been smirking too much when she'd realised the time and cussed him out. Sick bastard had looked like he'd enjoyed that part too.

Well, she had his work keys (she anticipated a humiliating visit to Silver Guardians Security for him tomorrow morning when he found he couldn't get into his office) and she was organising their next date. Which they'd had to arrange around the non-negotiable time Eric was spending with Alice and their birds. Taylor clenched her jaw, Max never let her forget that that she timeshared her boyfriend with an eleven year old girl, or that the girl in question didn't like her.

She was still thinking about Eric's unlikely adventures in babysitting when she caught sight of Cole's sleepy eyes peering out of the darkness, looking more cat-like than she'd ever seen them before. He preferred to sleep outside most nights because he claimed he found it too difficult to sleep when he wasn't under the open sky.

"Hey, Taylor," Cole smiled. "Have a good evening?"

"No," Taylor replied shortly purely on principal, keeping to herself that Eric had made up for his obvious shortcomings with stargazing, dinner, and other activities she was never going to discuss with Cole or anyone on the team. "Sorry if I woke you."

"That was Red Lion, he's worried about the Wolf," Cole inclined his head vaguely towards where the Lion's rock probably was. "He told me you were here."

It was usually the Eagle Zord that was the first to know Taylor was on the Animarium, greeting her as she came through the archway. He probably would have tonight if she'd gotten back on time. Now he'd be asleep before his dawn flight. Taylor missed flying beside him.

"He says the Eagle told him you're not usually back this late" Cole relayed.

"That was Eric's fault," Taylor snapped, dumping her purse on the table loudly.

Someone stirred beside Cole at the noise. With a step or two closer, Taylor could make out Alyssa. Her white pyjamas and peaceful expression as she slept made her look extraordinarily innocent, especially as she was cradled in Cole's arms. Taylor's smirk softened to a smile when Cole caught her eye. It was impossible not to react like that when faced with the pair of them and Taylor had tried.

"She wanted to wait up for you," Cole explained, his voice quieter now. "There was someone at her college she was worried about. Colonel Tyson?"

"David Tyson?" Taylor raised her eyebrows, more than a little surprised. Tyson was stationed at her base. They'd trained together years ago and hung out whenever they worked the same shifts. He was working with the recruiters the last she'd heard.

"He was asking questions," there were shadows across Cole's face. "About Alyssa's jacket."

Noble Tiger. Taylor frowned. So what? It couldn't be specifically connected to the Rangers and she had the support of her Air Force superiors without fear of punishment. They understood greater causes and bigger pictures. Cole was irritatingly open about their Ranger work when he was out in Turtle Cove anyway, so why the concern?

"She was explaining to me about your military and then Red Lion had some questions and……" Cole looked sheepish and gestured to Alyssa, before his expression slid back to serious, the way it always did when it mattered. "She was worried."

"I'll talk to her tomorrow," Taylor replied with a sigh, silently cursing Eric again. "It's probably nothing."

Cole shook his head. "She was worried, Taylor."

Alyssa had been worried enough to wait outside for Taylor until she'd fallen asleep in the temple courtyard, worried enough that Cole had gotten serious. Message understood. Taylor nodded briskly. She had some people on base she could contact if she needed to.

"Alyssa said to tell you that the Princess visited Merrick this evening."

Taylor rolled her eyes. The outcome of that was inevitable.

"She's sulking," Taylor surmised, glancing towards the pool where there was not even a hint of the Princess's sparkling light.

But there was someone nearby, so still and silent that they were almost hidden in the shadows. Danny and Max, curled up like a pair of animals under blankets and with what was probably Danny's stuffed toy. They both looked deeply asleep, she could probably walk over and dump the pool's water over them before they would even stir. Taylor's grin curled, she'd do that the next time Max said she was too old to keep up with him.

"What are they doing here?" she asked Cole. "Don't tell me they were worried too."

"Danny's looking after Kendall's plant, he wants to be here when the flower opens for the first time in the morning," Cole was resting his head against Alyssa's now and was looking very contented. "And Max doesn't like being alone."

"He's scared of the dark."

"We had fires," Cole gestured to the temple's perimeter where there was only darkness now "It was the Eagle's idea."

Taylor grinned and maybe Cole caught it, but she didn't care. He just smiled back at her.

"There's a blanket for you," he pointed to a familiar yellow material folded neatly beside Danny. It had to be Alyssa's doing.

The night had been cold down in Silver Hills, so cold that Eric had wordlessly handed over his coat and Taylor had taken it without asking what had happened to turn him into a gentleman. But on the Animarium it was still pleasant and warm. The sort of weather you prayed for when you were doing outside training runs. Taylor didn't even think about it.

"I'll get the sleeping bags."

She changed into her spare pair of pyjamas since her favourites were at Eric's place along with a toothbrush and a bottle of her favourite shampoo. The sleeping bags were easy to find and she left two by Danny and Max, for the early morning when Max would whine about cold feet and Danny stealing the blankets. She didn't make her bed there because Danny sometimes snored (and he did steal the blankets) and Max was a notorious kicker.

Seeing Cole and Alyssa so comfortably intertwined made her pause, feeling like an intruder, but Cole raised an arm in clear expectant invitation and the feeling fled. Of course they wouldn't mind. Cole was the one who had told them about Wild Zords finding peace together, something about combined spirits that Red Lion had explained to him. All Taylor needed to know was that she got more sleep sharing a room with Alyssa and even more when the whole team was present.

Cole wrapped an arm around her and Taylor shared her blanket and sleeping bag, though Cole would probably shrug them off by morning. Max and Danny were close enough to touch. She thought she could hear the Eagle screech somewhere far off. Cole murmured something about Kite almost under his breath and Taylor squeezed his arm reflexively.

It was not the most comfortable position to sleep in and Cole wouldn't move as it risked waking Alyssa up. But, Taylor's hand reached and rested on Danny's leg, she could already feel her eyes getting heavy and something peaceful sweep over her. Just like every time they did this.

She grinned suddenly in the darkness against Cole's chest, against Alyssa's hair. She'd be sure to tell Eric that she'd spent the night with another man and a woman the next time he sneered about her team or the Air Force. She was asleep almost instantly.

_-end_


End file.
